Pretest for a Study on Quantitative Information in Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements

Appendix C

Survey Questionnaire

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study today. This study is about advertising for a new product. We will show you an ad for a new product and then ask you some questions about it.

Make sure you are comfortable and can read the screen from where you sit. The survey will include some audio, so please make sure the sound on your computer is active and the speaker volume is turned up.

ADVERTISEMENT INSTRUCTIONS

On the next screen, you will see an advertisement for a new product. The ad may take 15-30 seconds to start playing. Imagine that this ad is for a product that you might be interested in for yourself.

Once you finish viewing the ad, please click the Continue button.

[DISPLAY ASSIGNED AD] [SUPPRESS “CONTINUE” BUTTON UNTIL AD FINISHES PLAYING]

We would like you to watch the ad a second time. Please click the Continue button to view the ad.

[DISPLAY ASSIGNED AD AGAIN] [SUPPRESS “CONTINUE” BUTTON UNTIL AD FINISHES PLAYING]

SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS

Now please answer the following questions based on the ad you saw.

Q1. Were you able to view the ad for Vistasin?

• Yes

• No  [Terminate]

• Not sure  [Terminate]

Q3. What are the benefits of Vistasin? Please list as many benefits as you can remember. (benefit recall)

(open ended)

Q4. What are the side effects of Vistasin? Please list as many side effects as you can remember. (risk recall)

(open ended)

Q20. After seeing this ad, how likely would you be to recommend Vistasin to a close family member with wet AMD? (behavioral intention)

1 Not at all likely

2

3

4

5

6 Extremely likely

Q5. Please check which of the following statements were mentioned in the ad. Even if you think a statement is true, please select it only if it was mentioned in the ad. [RANDOMIZE ORDER] (benefit recognition)

	Mentioned	Not Mentioned
a. Vistasin improves vision in people with wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).	X
b. Vistasin reduces blind spots caused by wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD)	X
c. You take Vistasin by putting just two drops in each eye per day.	X
d. Vistasin can only be used by people who have tried other treatments for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD)		X
e. Vistasin improves vision in people with glaucoma.		X
f. Vistasin improves eyesight for people who are near-sighted.		X

Please answer the following questions based on what you learned from the ad. The ad may or may not have included the information needed to answer each question, so your best guess is fine. [Keep on screen for questions Q6 – Q11-A]

Q6. Vistasin eliminates all of the vision problems caused by wet AMD. (gist efficacy claim accuracy – magnitude)

• True

• False (correct answer)

Q7. On average, if someone with wet AMD takes Vistasin, by how much will their vision improve? (gist efficacy claim accuracy – magnitude)

• Vision will not improve at all

• Vision will improve but won’t be back to normal (correct answer)

• Vision will improve to normal

Q11. On average, if someone with wet AMD takes Vistasin, by what percentage will their blind spots shrink? (efficacy claim accuracy – magnitude)

• 0%

• 25%

• 35%

• 45%

• 55%

• 65% (correct answer)

• 75%

• 85%

• 95%

• Don’t know

Q11-A. On average, if someone with wet AMD takes another prescription drug, by what percentage will their blind spots shrink? (efficacy claim accuracy – magnitude)

• 0%

• 25%

• 35%

• 45%(correct answer)

• 55%

• 65%

• 75%

• 85%

• 95%

• Don’t know

Q13. Vistasin is more likely to improve vision than other treatments for wet AMD. (perceived efficacy - comparative)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

Q14. Based on the ad, how convinced are you that Vistasin improves vision? (ad persuasiveness)

1 Not at all convinced

2

3

4

5

6 Completely convinced

Q15. Please check which of the following were mentioned in the ad as risks of taking Vistasin. Even if you think a statement is true, please select it only if it was mentioned in the ad. [RANDOMIZE ORDER] (risk recognition)

	Mentioned	Not Mentioned
a. A side effect of Vistasin is loss of depth perception.	X
b. A side effect of Vistasin is runny nose.	X
c. People with glaucoma should not take Vistasin.	X
d. A side effect of Vistasin is a detached retina.	X
e. A side effect of Vistasin is blurry vision.		X
f. A side effect of Vistasin is temporary blindness.		X
g. People with kidney problems should not take Vistasin.		X
h. A side effect of Vistasin is nausea.		X

Q16. How serious are Vistasin ’s side effects? (perceived risk – magnitude)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all serious					Extremely serious

Q17. How bothersome would Vistasin’s side effects be? (perceived risk – magnitude)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all bothersome					Extremely bothersome

Q18. Vistasin is riskier than other treatments for wet AMD. (perceived risk - comparative)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

Q19. Thinking overall about the risks and benefits, would you say Vistasin has: (benefit/risk tradeoff)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

More risks Equal risks More benefits

than benefits and benefits than risks

Q21. This ad used special effects to show how well Vistasin works. (manipulation check – images of improvement)

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

P1. [IF YES TO Q21] Please describe those special effects. (manipulation check – images of improvement)

(open ended)

Q24. Did you notice a dark spot on the screen? (manipulation check – images of improvement)

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

Q24-A. [IF YES TO Q24] Did you notice any changes to the dark spot? [RANDOMIZE ORDER OF FIRST THREE RESPONSE OPTIONS]

• Yes – The dark spot disappeared

• Yes – The dark spot got smaller

• Yes – The dark spot got bigger

• No – The dark spot did not change

P2. [IF YES TO Q24] In your own words, what was the purpose of the dark spot in the ad? (manipulation check – images of improvement)

(open ended)

Q22. [IF YES TO Q24-A] Please mark whether you agree or disagree with the following statement.

The changes to the dark spot showed what people’s vision would really be like before and after taking Vistasin. (images of improvement – perceived accuracy)

1	2	3	4	5
Strongly disagree				Strongly agree

Q23. [IF YES TO Q24-A] Compared to the changes to the dark spot in the ad, how well would Vistasin work in real life?

Vistasin would improve people’s vision… (images of improvement – perceived accuracy)

1	2	3	4	5
A lot less than the ad suggests	A little bit less than the ad suggests	The same as the ad suggests	A little bit more than the ad suggests	A lot more than the ad suggests

P3. Did the ad contain any numbers about how well Vistasin improved vision? (manipulation check – efficacy claim)

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

Q26. [FOR ARMS #11 AND #13] The ad included both a dark spot and numbers showing how well Vistasin works. How closely did the dark spot match the numbers in the ad?

The dark spot showed…

(perceived match – efficacy claim vs. images of improvement)

1	2	3	4	5
less vision improvement than the numbers		the same vision improvement as the numbers		more vision improvement than the numbers

Q27. Please check how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about the ad you saw. (ad skepticism)

This ad is a reliable source of information about the risks and benefits of Vistasin.

This ad presents a true picture of Vistasin.

I feel I’ve been accurately informed after viewing this ad.

This ad provides consumers with essential information for deciding whether to ask a doctor about Vistasin.

1	2	3	4	5	6
Strongly disagree					Strongly agree

Q28. Now here are some questions that require you to use numbers to solve the problem. Some are easy, and others are more difficult. Please don’t use a calculator: We’d like you to answer on your own.

Remember, almost everyone will have trouble with these questions, so don’t be upset if some are difficult—just do your best! (objective numeracy)

1. Imagine that you flip a fair coin 1,000 times. What is your best guess about how many times the coin would come up heads in 1,000 flips?

___ times out of 1,000

2. In the BIG BUCKS LOTTERY, the chance of winning a $10 prize is 1%. What is your best guess about how many people would win a $10 prize if 1,000 people each buy a single ticket to BIG BUCKS LOTTERY?

____ people

3. In ACME PUBLISHING SWEEPSTAKES, the chance of winning a car is 1 in 1,000. What percent of tickets to ACME PUBLISHING SWEEPSTAKES will win a car?

___ percent [permit numbers from 0.000-100.000 with up to three decimal places]

Q29. Please answer the following questions. (subjective numeracy)

a. How good are you at working with fractions?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

b. How good are you at working with percentages?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

c. How good are you at calculating a 15% tip?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

d. How good are you at figuring out how much a shirt will cost if it is 25% off?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

e. When reading the newspaper, how helpful do you find tables and graphs that are part of the
story?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all					Extremely

f. When people tell you the chance of something happening, do you prefer that they use words (“it rarely happens”) or numbers (“there’s a 1% chance”)?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Always prefer words					Always prefer numbers

g. When you hear a weather forecast, do you prefer predictions using percentages (e.g., “there will be a 20% chance of rain today”) or predictions using only words (e.g., “there is a small chance of rain today”)?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Always prefer percentages					Always prefer words

h. How often do you find numerical information to be useful?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Never					Very often

Q30. Are you currently taking a prescription medicine for any eye or vision problems? (prescription use)

• Yes

• No

Q31. In general, how much do you know about macular degeneration (wet or dry AMD)? (perceived medical condition knowledge)

• Nothing at all

• Only a little bit

• Some

• A lot

Q32. Do you have macular degeneration? (medical condition history)

• Yes

• No

• Don't know

Q33. [IF YES TO Q32] Have you ever had treatment for macular degeneration? (treatment history)

• Yes

• No

• Don't know

Q34. [IF NO / DON’T KNOW TO Q32] How likely do you think it is that you will get macular degeneration? (medical condition perceived risk)

1 2 3 4 5 6

Not at all Extremely

Likely Likely

Q35. Have any of your close family members—such as parents, brothers, or sisters—ever had macular degeneration? (family medical condition history)

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

Q36. Have you had any vision problems—other than needing contacts or glasses—in the past 10 years? (history of vision problems)

• Yes

• No

For the next two questions, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the statement.

Q37. I experience prescription drug side effects more frequently than other people my age. (prescription attitude – side effect history)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

Q38. Whenever I take prescription drugs, they tend to work the way they are supposed to work. (prescription attitude – efficacy history)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

Q39. When you have a health problem, how willing are you to take prescription drugs? Please check all that apply. (prescription attitude – personal usage)

• They are my first choice for treatment

• I will try other treatments (such as over-the-counter or alternative medicines) before I take them

• I will try lifestyle changes (such as diet, exercise) before I take them

• I will try medical procedures (such as laser surgery) before I take them

• I will never take them

P4. How noticeable was the information about Vistasin’s benefits? (efficacy claim awareness)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all noticeable					Very noticeable

P5. How similar or different was this ad compared to other television ads for prescription drugs? (ad quality)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Nothing like ads on TV					Just like ads on TV

P6. Do you think the ad quality was… (ad quality)

• High, like a national ad

• Medium, like an ad for a local business

• Low, like an amateur filmed it with a video camera

Q40. How confident are you in filling out medical forms by yourself? (literacy)

1 Not at all

2 A little

3 Somewhat

4 Quite a bit

5 Extremely

Q41. How many years of education have you had? (education)

• Less than high school

• Completed high school

• Some college

• Associate’s degree (2-year)

• Bachelor’s degree (4-year)

• Some postgraduate work

• Postgraduate degree (M.A., Ph.D., M.D., J.D., etc.)

Q42. What is your sex? (gender)

• Male

• Female

Q43. What is your date of birth? (age)

_____month

_____year

Q44. Are you Hispanic or Latino? (ethnicity)

• No

• Yes

Q45. What is your race? You may select one or more races. (race)

[ALLOW MULTIPLE RESPONSES]

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

• White

• Some other race

Q46. Would you like to see more information about Vistasin? (information search behavior)

• Yes, look for more information now

• No, do not look for more information now

DEBRIEF

The purpose of this study is to learn about reactions to medical advertising. In order to get a real-life reaction, we used a pretend product in this study. Vistasin is not a real product and is not available for sale. Please see your healthcare professional for questions about wet AMD.

You have been very helpful. Thank you very much for your participation!

Research authorized by Section 1701(a)(4) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u(a)(4)). Confidentiality protected by 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and (b) and 21 CFR part 20.

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